Two months ago, a 23-year-old domestic worker from a little-known Indonesian city was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was recognised alongside presidents and pop stars for what she didn’t do – Erwiana didn’t stay silent.
Today is International Domestic Workers Day, and at the International Labour Organisation we are reflecting on the contributions of women such as Erwiana. Since she returned from Hong Kong to her home in Indonesia, Erwiana has been campaigning for the rights of domestic workers. During her eight months on the job in Hong Kong, Erwiana was violently abused by her employer, and when her injuries prevented her from continuing to work, she was sent home with just $9 in her pocket. Erwiana began campaigning for domestic workers just like herself, many of them migrant women, most of them still vulnerable in their workplaces across the globe. Read More…